Paper

Paper items with special needs

Oversize Flat Paper Material

Oversize flat paper items such as posters, maps, plans, wallpaper and large works of art can be difficult to store, handle and display. They are often neglected and are especially prone to mechanical damage when cared for inappropriately.

Wherever possible, oversize items should be kept flat.

Items should not overhang shelves or protrude into aisles.

Mounting and framing should utilise lightweight, archival materials. For example, Perspex instead of glass is ideal; but this is often impractical for space and cost reasons. Extra hinges may be needed to support the weight of the object and keep it flatter.

Avoid lining with cloth and dry-mounting oversize material.

Steel plan chests with large, shallow drawers are used most often for the storage of unframed, oversize items. Archival map-storage boxes can also be used.

Encapsulation or partial encapsulation is often a good alternative for oversize items with stable media.

Simple enclosures for oversize items can be made with a board support and a polyester upper. The items can be displayed and studied in these enclosures.

If possible, loose material in drawers or boxes should at least be interleaved or provided with support sheets of archival paper.

Oversize items should only be rolled as a last resort. The item should be rolled face-out around a large-diameter tube which is acid-free. For example, polypropylene or archival board, or isolated with polyester or heavy-weight archival paper. The whole package should then be wrapped in archival paper, labelled clearly and stored horizontally where it can be supported over its full length.

Newspapers

Newspapers create special problems in any collection. Large collections of newspapers are copied onto some other format, for example, microfilm, and the originals are often vacuum-wrapped and put away for long-term storage. Photocopying may be an option if there is not a large quantity of material. Store newspapers in a sound, acid-free environment, laid flat in polypropylene bags or archival boxes; restrict access. Find out where microfilmed versions are held and encourage people to use them rather than the original.